CONCLUSIONS: Data suggests that acupuncture therapy, specifically for Kidney qi/yang xu, is effective in the prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infections in adult women, as evidenced by statistically significant reductions in the incidence of UTIs, as well as low NNT. Acupuncture may be considered as an option for UTI prophylaxis prior to long-term antibiotic therapy. However, further research is needed to determine the mechanism by which acupuncture affects the pathogenesis of UTIs, as well as the cost effectiveness of these acupuncture treatments.